www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Liturgy of the Hours

Is the western Liturgy of the Hours also an eastern phenomenon? I am referring to the Divine Hours prayers (mostly Psalms) used by priests, and many laity in the west. Do Orthodox or Easterners use something similar? Or the same book, by chance?

Also, does anyone know a short prayer of blessing, of eastern usage, possibly invoking the Holy Trinity, to be used in the home for blessing family members with holy oil?

The one we Romans have been using here is, " may the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain with you forever, Amen."

Dear Voice,
Christ is Risen!
The Byzantine Churches have what is called in Greek the "Horologian" or in Slavonic "Casaslov". Which are books that contain the distinctively different from latin use "Liturgy of the Hours", Vespers. Matins, Compline, and Midnight Office. they contain the Psalms to be chanted, the prayers, and various troparia and Kontakia. During the Great Fast (Lent) the sixth hour also contains Old Testament Readings.

I am not aware of any specific prayer of anointing flor a lay person to use when anointing others. Can any one else find one?
In the risen Christ

Dear Small Voice,

The Byzantine Office is both very rich and very long to pray!

And unlike the Latin Church, WE still have the Hour of Prime . . .

I never could understand why the Latin Church discarded that Hour - especially since the term "Primer" comes from that Hour's name etc.

It can also get complicated for those of us who are not Cantors, like the Administrator and others here, or who are not ordained clerics . . .

Perhaps I'm just a liturgo-peasant . . .

A good online version is to be found on Fr. John Whiteford's "Orthodox Liturgical Resources" site - http://pages.prodigy.net/frjohnwhiteford/services.htm

The Alexandrian Church has a beautiful Office of seven Hours and this is used by the Copts, Ethiopians, Eritreans and Nubians. It can be found at www.agpeya.org [agpeya.org]

The old Celtic Office can be found at: www.celticchristianity.org [celticchristianity.org]

Any layperson may bless anything in their homes with this formula:

"This (name of object or person's name) is being blessed by the Sign of the Precious and Life-giving Cross in the + Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the + Holy Spirit. Amen."

And one may use either Holy Water or Holy Oil.

One may also bless with the use of a hand-censer, as some families do at the end of evening prayers and bless the children before they go to bed.

Alex

Dear a still, small voice,

I've prayed Latin morning prayer with a group.

I prayed Matins during Great and Holy Week. Matins are long for this out-of-prayer-shape Latin. I almost left early. What kept me there until the end? Prostrations!

Getting physical in prayer made the prayers easier for me.

Sincerely in our risen Lord,

Paul

Greetings,
I believe that praying the hours is good for everyone, it really does sanctify time. When I keep up with it my life has a rhythm that is of great comfort and value to me.

I have been praying �Christian Prayer� for about five years. I still use it for Ordinary time, I use the Lent/Easter and Advent/Christmas volumes from the four volume set for those seasons. I really have always liked it and it has served as a foundation of my spiritual life. A friend had recently commented that he felt his family life was ordered around the weekly Divine Liturgy and I have to agree. Every day and every hour has it�s place in the cycle culminating in the chief prayer of the church, the Divine Liturgy. So it seems like the hours and days are arranged like the knots in a chotki or chaplet, rounding back to the most profound and glorious Mystery.

When I can visit the Abbey I participate in the hours according to the usage there, and I will do Matins or Vespers according to the usage of my Byzantine-Ruthenian parish when I can make it there.

I have tried to adapt the Horologian to my private use but I am just not having any luck with it, it�s just not meant for private recitation, so I stick with the Roman usage at home, although I have greatly reduced my use of it.

The only adjustment to the Roman Christian Prayer I have made is to attempt to be particular to the Byzantine calendar for solemn feast days, start of Lent and Advent, etc. while using the breviary in private, it�s a work in progress.

I live alone so I haven�t given any thought to the blessings, it sounds like a beautiful tradition for a family to pray together and have a blessing.

Michael

Like Coalesco, I use the 4 week Psalter of the Liturgy of the Hours, it has the Office of Readings, morning, daytime, midmorning,midday,midafternoon,evening and night prayer. I usally say the morning,evening, Office of Readings and night prayer.

Followed by Byzantine Prayers !

james

Dear Friends,

Actually, the idea of sanctifying time can also be done with any other prayers that are celebrated at intervals throughout the day.

The monks of the Thebaid divided the Psalms into 12 psalmic groupings (with 15 at the beginning and the end) and said 12 psalms at the beginning of each hour - or else 100 Jesus Prayers were said.

Seven or three times are more manageable.

Alex

He is Risen, Indeed!

Many thanks to all of you. It is good and fitting that so many are joined in prayer.
I also have the 4 vol Liturgy of the Hours, which I used very regularly for a long time. Now I will have to get back to it. It joins us to the heart of the Church when we are unable to be there physically. One of my daughters sometimes asks me to pray it with her, in chorus as the nuns do. A beautiful tradition to share. Tammy

Strange - I seem to be the odd one out here .

For some time I have found praying the LoH very difficult and have now substitued the Psalter [ thanks to a wonderful present of of the Canadian OCA Edition].

I do admit though that I feel at times we probably all need to change our routine - for me this seems to have been one of these times .


Anhelyna

Dear OLSL,

Christ is Risen!

Glad you found the Psalter suited to your needs.

I too find the LoH too difficult to pray alone.

Praying it with others helps a lot.

Paul

OK Paul & Anhelyna,

I cannot find the Psalter on the Web that you are both speaking about, help!

james

Dear James,

Your slightest wish is our command.

It has actually been mentioned twice


web page Psalter 1

and web page Psalter 2

And I still use it in preference to anything else

Amhelyna

Dear Anhelyna,

You are absolutely right - the Psalter can be prayed as an Horologion!

And it is in the Psalter that we find the idea of praying seven times a day.

The Byzantine monastic tradition has three "categories" of Psalter devotion.

Beginners say three "Kathismata" a day, intermediates say four, and the "perfect" say seven.

Alex

Anhelyna,

gratsi for the info, I am sure I will locate one.

james

At least one other person and I have been completely unsuccessful in obtaining this Psalter. Attempts to call the phone number result in nothing but busy signals. The local OCA parish has never heard of this Psalter. We have finally just given up.

Can anyone suggest another possible way of laying our hands on one?

-- Ed